In many countries, the complex nature of decision-making in relation to children who have been neglected or abused leads to variable decisions regarding their care, even when case characteristics, family circumstances and levels of harm are similar. This leads to a justice problem, as both children's right to protection, and parental rights to maintain the care of their children, should be enforced in a consistent manner by legal and regulatory systems. Drawing on the decision-making ecology concept, this talk outlines the complex context that generates decision outcomes, and presents the first findings of a mixed methods, exploratory study that set out to answer the question: what contributes to decision making variability in the Aotearoa New Zealand child welfare system?

Presenter

Emily Keddell, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Gender and Social Work, University of Otago.

Read research briefing paper (Keddell & Hyslop, 2016)